representation of the potential within the squad and provided some useful work-ons. The remainder of the grading games consisted of two wins and two losses against a mix of St Bede’s College teams and a Parklands side. While Parklands was clearly in the wrong division, the other games showed signs of progress as the team worked on building up from the back and Saleh Ameen found his shooting boots with a hat-trick against St Bede’s Black. Following the grading games, the 5th division was restructured into a league featuring Christ’s College, Cashmere Technical, CBHS, Methven, and two St Bede’s teams. The early games of the new league were interrupted by bad weather, but the 3rd XI started strongly with a 1–0 win against St Bede’s Black. The team proceeded to hit a dip in form with five losses in a row that were affected by the lack of consistent training, as well as sickness among the team that, on some occasions, resulted in the team playing with no or few substitutes. Despite this, the 3rd XI showed great promise in several performances, including a 6–3 loss against top-of-the-table Cashmere Technical and a 4–3 loss to St Bede’s Red. This carried over to a strong finish to the season. An away day in Methven resulted in the 3rd XI moving up the table with a convincing 7–1 victory, having been beaten by the side in the home fixture. This was followed by a gutsy 2–1 win against St Bede’s Black, and a classy 5–1 victory over CBHS. This result was an impressive display of the team’s progress, having previously lost 6–3 and 8–2 against CBHS. In the final game of the season, the 3rd XI came up short in a 6–4 thriller, including a Jonnie Bennetto hat-trick against league
with close to a 50–50 split of Year 11s and Year 13s. Improvements were made all over the park, and the team could be proud of their progress. Played 15 Won 6 Drawn 0 Lost 9 Place 4th, Division 5, 17th Grade Dr Mike Field, Manager, and Finbar Gallaway, Coach RAVENS FOOTBALL Manager: Kevin Harris Coach: Warren Dunick Team: Ciaran Huntley (captain), Tavor Abraham, Sam Aitken, Edward Bodie-Healy, Ben Breitmeyer, Matthew Brett, Lucas Evans, Jake Hayes, Lucas Maguire, Henri Murison, Thornton Reid, Alex Scott, Milton Sedze, Nicholas Sharr, Jack Slater, Lachie Short, Nicholas Winefield, Scott Winefield The Ravens season got underway in Division 1 with a spirited game against Christchurch Boys’ High School, with a lovely ball from Milton Sedze through to Matthew Brett, who beat the keeper. It was a great display of football, nonetheless. As the game went on, so the fouls started coming. It was a shame to see that football games could be won in such a fashion, a fact that would haunt us throughout the season. There were many great moments and some brilliant football. The potential to score goals was always there, with Alex Scott, Nicholas Sharr, Thornton Reid, and a host of others all netting memorable goals. Sam Aitken played a major role, with his cool-headed contribution and high work rate providing many opportunities. Our encounters with Nomads seemed to be more about physicality, a style Nomads would use throughout the season. Lachie Short would prove to be an invaluable asset on the field, challenging and winning most of the ball. Henri Murison was everywhere, making tackles and providing forward motion in his own style.
We were more prepared for the second CBHS game. The Ravens once again showed how to play football, passing the ball around freely in the first half, going 1–0 up. However, change in the second half resulted in the football disappearing and an equaliser occurring from broken play. Our encounters with Halswell were played in great spirit and would see the return of real football, although the game did not start well, conceding in the 7th minute but it just got better. Ben Breitmeyer’s return from injury was timely as he bagged two goals in quick succession. These were followed with two more by Jack Slater and two by Jake Hayes. However, it was Tavor Abraham’s domination of the loose ball that won the match. With a rag-tag squad, even the sick and injured took the field. This was the best game of football all season. Plenty of attacking from both sides, and some physical clashes but played in the true spirit of the game. Once again Ben Breitmeyer netted in the 4th minute to put us in a comfortable position. Unfortunately, this only lasted for five minutes as a long through ball caught our struggling backs off guard. As the game continued, the boys battled on. Ciaran Huntley was magical in goal. Eventually, nine minutes from time, an exhausted backline broke and to the credit of the Mid-Canterbury striker, Ciaran was finally beaten. Our second encounter with Halswell was a high-scoring affair, with both Lucas Maguire and Lucas Evans putting in tremendous performances, which was not usual for these two. We enjoyed the second encounter with Mid-Canterbury at home, but, this time, the game did not go our way. Edward Bodie-Healy played some of his best football, providing the attack with plenty of ball and running at the
winner St Bede’s College. Overall, 4th place was a fair
representation of the season for the 3rd XI. Had the team found its form slightly earlier, there was little doubt it would have been competing for a top-three position. The team’s progress was clear to see, and it was impressive how well the boys united
defence numerous times. Speaking of tremendous performances, the Fortress of
Ravens (Winefield Castle) should be mentioned. Two players were tireless in their defensive efforts. Nicholas Winefield and Scott Winefield were
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